Google ranks lowest for privacy protection practices

It’s all over the news, the blogosphere, the web. Google, the search engine giant as we know it, was ranked the lowest as to protecting the privacy of its users is concerned. This finding by Privacy International is based on six month research, placing Google at the bottom of 23 internet companies, including Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL. Google is the only company among those included in the study to receive a failing grade for “conducting comprehensive consumer surveillance and having entrenched hostility to privacy.”

“We are aware that the decision to place Google at the bottom of the ranking is likely to be controversial, but throughout our research, we have found numerous deficiencies and hostilities in Google’s approach to privacy that go well beyond those of other organizations,” Privacy International said.

Google, on the other hand, has publicly refuted the report as inaccurate. “We are disappointed with Privacy International’s report, whichi is based on numerous inaccuracies and misunderstandings about our services”, Google’s deputy general counsel, Nicole Wong, said.

Privacy International is a London-based privacy NGO that provides technology asessement, develops reviews of policy, and acts as a watchdog on surveillance by governments and corporations. The full report, A Race to the Bottom – Privacy Ranking of Internet Service Companies, can be found here.

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[…] Source:901am It’s all over the news, the blogosphere, the web. Google, the search engine giant as we know it, was ranked the lowest as to protecting the privacy of its users is concerned. This finding by Privacy International is based on six month research, placing Google at the bottom of 23 internet companies, including Microsoft, Yahoo, […] Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]

[…] Fast forward to NOW: I’ve been earnestly covering the web and the blogosphere about technology, the Internet, and new media related news especially since three weeks ago when I started contributing for 901am.com. Admittedly, I have taken particular interest in news related to Google, Yahoo and other web search engines, as a matter of fact, my first ever post at 901am was about the launch of Google’s Street View. Which was later followed by an update on the privacy fears and concerns that came out as a result of the Street View launch. And was later followed by this controversial report made by Privacy International ranking Google at the bottom for its privacy protection practices. […]